FINANCIAL METRICS: HANDING OUT THE CASH
How do you divide funds between different on a new CIO, the company had just resources. Only once the budget model was
business units, vendors, and discretionary finished developing a business strategy. ready could HealthTrust digitise.
and non-discretionary requirements? Does That strategy, however, was missing a this help build enterprise capabilities and focus on strong IT, which would be required Experience shows that an adaptive
long-term initiatives, or does it just add to to meet the goal of doubling the amount development process lets you capitalise
your technical debt? of supply spend under management over more of your costs, but many companies
the next five years. Under the new CIO, are still being too cautious, holding off on
When HealthTrust, which provides the IT function got to work by setting the development of products and services
performance and cost management short-term strategic priorities and arguing because it increases immediate operating
services for healthcare facilities, brought for increased funding for capital and IT expenses.
OPERATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL EFFICIENCY: IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS—AND YOUR MONEY PITS
At any organisation, there are capabilities each function. Once you do that, you can found that simplifying the architecture on
and functions that contribute to IT operating strategise accordingly to ensure efficiency. which business solutions were built and
speed, cost and efficiency—and also
deployed also meant evolving the technology
those that lead to waste. To reach peak HealthTrust wanted to do more than set architecture to enhance the speed of
adaptability, you have to be honest with a budget; it needed to develop an IT team delivery. An architecture should be highly
yourself and your organisation and review that was more strategic and proactive. It integrated, modular and loosely coupled.
RISK MANAGEMENT AND COMPLIANCE: CONNECT SAFELY AND STAY INSIDE THE LINES
To be fully adaptable, you need a HealthTrust’s new model brought new organisation made specific contributions
technology portfolio that provides a useful capabilities to the entire company. It to customer engagement, technology
platform in today’s constantly-connected transformed IT’s focus on day-to-day innovation and product development. It
environment. It needs to be secure, and it operations and support and positioned learned to balance speed and agility with
needs to follow organisational and legal IT as a strategic partner that could drive accountability and quality.
regulations. business growth. The new and improved
EFFECTIVENESS: ON TIME AND AS REQUESTED
You should consistently provide services feeds of pharmacy procurement data. The capabilities will require real work. Make a
that are high quality, within budget and on new IT function also received high marks clear strategy, think long term (especially
time. And put the extra effort into satisfying in a company survey for alignment to the when it comes to funding), and keep your
major stakeholders: It’s the best way to business needs (4.6 on a five-point scale), team energised and adaptable. With all
ensure future funding and opportunity. value derived from IT tools (4.4) and ability eyes on IT investments, these capabilities
to meet business needs (4.2). should be focused on producing results
HealthTrust’s new IT organisation went
that fit the organisation’s key goals—the
above and beyond when it came to meeting The shift to digital has put IT in the
user expectations. To prove its worth crosshairs. As technology changes more
post-transition, the organisation developed and more quickly, your ability to keep up
an app that provided hospitals with daily with relevant, enterprise-wide technology
kind of results IT needs to remain relevant.
DIGITECH Magazine
Summer 2017
19